


The Not-Last Airbender

by envysparkler



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Divergence, Featuring, Gen, Humor, The Airbender Kid that Cannot Possibly Be the Avatar, The Gaang Do Not Notice, The Scarred Trader with the Cool Swords that Cannot Possible Be the Fire Prince, Zuko Is Bad at Lying, season 1 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23824693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/envysparkler/pseuds/envysparkler
Summary: A light breaks through the clouds, reaching for the skies – an omen that no one is watching.  Zuko meets a twelve-year-old airbender that is probably not who he’s looking for.  No one has seen the Avatar for a hundred years.Alternative titles include: Zuko Stalks a Small Airbender Child (“No, Uncle, he’s leading me back to his hideout!”); Sokka Makes a New Friend (“Wait, you like meat and swords?”); Katara Just Wants to Learn Waterbending (“You've seen an actual waterbending scroll?”); Aang Fails to Differentiate Friend and Foe (“Where is your ship anyway?”  “...It's definitely not the Fire Nation warship that's following us.”); Little Angry Warm Human Brings Treats (“No, I have no idea how these fruits ended up in my bag.”).
Comments: 194
Kudos: 493





	1. The Light at the End of the World that No One Saw (Shut Up, No One Saw It Okay)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko chooses dao swords and sneaking instead of fire and shouting. It works a little too well. (Zuko can’t believe they’re actually buying it.)

A girl cracked open an iceberg and blue light shot to the heavens. All around the world, statues lit up with blue eyes and their guardians froze, staring in hope, in fear, in shock.

On a Fire Nation ship drifting near the South Pole, the helmsman and the second lieutenant stared at the light, and then at each other.

And then at the bottle of sake between them.

“Just the Southern Lights,” Helmsman Kyo offered.

Second Lieutenant Naomi remembered the shouting and fire before General Iroh convinced his nephew to take a nap. She remembered the Fire Prince’s threats and warnings to wake him up _immediately_ if anything happened. She remembered the General’s wide smile behind his nephew’s back, hands tucked into sleeves.

“Just the Southern Lights,” Naomi agreed weakly.

Helmsman Kyo slightly adjusted their course. They turned their gaze back to the pai sho board. 

* * *

“A flare!” Zuko shouted, immediately getting out the scope. There was a Fire Nation ship in trouble – but Zuko’s ship was supposed to be the only one so close to the South Pole. Even the Southern Raiders stuck to the Earth Kingdom nowadays.

There _was_ a Fire Nation ship in trouble, though it looked years too late to help. Instead, Zuko watched two small figures jumping off the abandoned ship, and for a moment, couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing.

“Is someone in trouble, Prince Zuko?” Uncle asked, blowing on his tea. The helmsman had already shifted their course for the flare and the soldiers were waiting for his orders.

“An airbender,” Zuko breathed out, shocked. That was an _airbender_. Their civilization hadn’t died out after all.

“Prince Zuko, there are no more airbenders,” Uncle sighed, which was what he said every time Zuko brought it up.

If the Avatar had escaped Fire Lord Sozin, so could the other airbenders.

Zuko ignored him, and followed the airbender’s path until – there! A village. The airbender would lead them straight to their hideout.

Zuko stared at the village through the scope. He didn’t want the airbender to fly away the minute they saw the ship coming. He didn’t want Uncle or his crew getting in the way.

Zuko shouted for the ship to drop anchor and went to check on his swords. This time, he’d found a real airbender. He was _so close_ to finding the Avatar.

(So close to _going home_.)

* * *

Uncle had already knocked on his door once – while Zuko was getting dressed, and Zuko had blurted out a half-panicked shout of “Uncle, I’m studying the scrolls, I’m not coming out for Music Night!” – and Zuko felt reasonably sure that Uncle was not going to check on him again.

Zuko’s original plan had been to dress all in black, and maybe even use the theatre mask he’d picked up a few ports ago. And then he’d looked at the ice and realized that black was not the best for sneaking in the South Pole and the theatre mask would not help unless he wanted the airbender to think he was a wayward spirit.

Which was, now that Zuko was thinking about it, not a half-bad idea.

But Zuko had already dressed in off-white clothes – with a brown cloak with a hood, because he knew it was supposed to be cold and he didn’t want them to figure out he was a firebender – and dropped his swords and a bag of fruit – realizing last-minute that he needed an excuse to enter the southern water tribe village – into the wooden boat.

He waited until the footsteps on the deck receded before vaulting over the railing and down into the boat. Soon, he was out of sight of the ship and headed for the village. He tied up the boat to a spur of ice – checking to make sure no one was looking before he fashioned a docking point out of the ice – shouldered his fruit, and made his way to the village.

* * *

“Man battle stations!” Sokka shouted, hurrying towards the entrance, “Stay on your guard! Men, the enemy is approaching!”

Katara snickered at him and the children gathered at the entrance to stare at the enemy, _not_ in the lines he’d commanded.

“Some enemy,” she laughed, “But who knows, Sokka! Maybe you’ll be able to defeat this one!”

Sokka growled at her as he pushed his way through the children, spear in hand, to guard their entrance. She was still sore that they’d made Aang leave, but look at what’d happened – they’d set off a flare, and now the enemy had found them.

“Halt, stranger!”

The stranger halted. They were wearing a brown cloak and had a bag slung over their shoulder.

“State your name and purpose!”

Sokka couldn’t see the stranger’s face under their cloak, but they were silent for a long moment.

“Uh…I’m a trader,” said a hoarse, cracking voice.

“Uh huh, _trader_ ,” Sokka said suspiciously, “What’s your name?”

The stranger was silent for another long moment. “Ko,” he finally muttered. Sokka scowled at the most-definitely-a-Fire-Nation-spy – who took so long to remember their own name?

“What did you bring to trade?” Gran-Gran asked and Sokka flailed – she was supposed to be back in the village! He couldn’t defend the entrance and the others at the same time.

“Fruits,” Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy answered, unshouldering his bag.

“How did you get here?” Katara scowled – which, _thank you_ , someone else was using some common sense – but she was supposed to be in the village. Sokka tried to shuffle to block them both from view, but it was too late, because the children escaped.

“I – uh…I have a ship, but it couldn’t navigate the ice,” Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy said, edging back as the children lunged forward with glee. Clearly Aang had destroyed their wariness to strangers – Sokka couldn’t believe he needed to have _another_ talk about Water Tribe=good, Outsiders=bad.

“What happened to your face?” one of them said, peering up the stranger’s hood.

Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy nearly tripped in the snow as he stumbled away from them. “Nothing!”

“Are you an airbender too?”

“What –”

“Do _you_ have a sky bison?”

“Do I have a – _what_?”

“What fruits did you bring?”

“Did you walk a long way?”

“Can you fly?”

“Aang stuck his tongue to a pole!”

“Katara went to the Fire Nation ship!”

“Did you see the flare? It went _whoosh_!”

“No, really, what happened to your face?”

“Children!” Gran-Gran’s voice cut through the chatter and they all turned to stare at her, “Stop bothering our guest and let them come inside and get warm. I’m sure they’ll be able to answer your questions later.”

Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy, who had looked two steps away from throwing themselves in a snowbank, slowly straightened up as the children filed back into the village.

“We can’t just let them come inside!” Sokka brandished his spear, “They’re a Fire Nation spy!”

“Ignore my idiot brother,” Katara said from behind him, “Come on – we have some furs to trade.” Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy took a wary step forward.

“I forbid it, Katara, and I’m the man of the tribe!” Sokka warned.

Katara scoffed at him, and nodded encouragingly to Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy.

“Dad left me in charge!” Sokka shouted, but his voice cracked in the middle and his words died to an embarrassing squeak.

Ko-the-Fire-Nation-spy paused to stare at him. Katara laughed. Sokka snarled and stomped away, his ears burning red.

* * *

“Do you think I could sneak in and talk to Katara?” Aang sighed, staring at the blue skies. “I want to tell her that I’ll be back after I go visit the Air Temple.”

Appa groaned.

“Yeah, I know, but I need to find where everybody went, buddy,” Aang said comfortingly, “Once I find them and I apologize for leaving, then we can come back for some more penguin-sledding!”

Appa opened one eye and regarded Aang.

Aang ignored him. “And maybe I can get Katara to come with me again if we promise not to go near Fire Nation ships again.”

Appa huffed and Aang laughed, “Well, what Sokka doesn’t know won’t hurt him!”

Aang twisted in mid-air, landing on his feet. The sooner he went to the Air Temple and found the other airbenders, the sooner he could be back. He couldn’t wait to see Katara again.

Aang’s smile froze when he saw another Fire Nation ship. Only this one wasn’t stuck in ice – it was in the water, with smoke puffing out the top, and it was really close to the village.

He need to warn Katara!

* * *

Ko and Gran-Gran were discussing the furs they would trade and Katara watched him carefully. He didn’t sound much older than Sokka – who was currently sulking somewhere in the village – and he kept his hood up, but she could see what the children had mentioned. She could just about make out the outline of an angry red scar on his face.

It hurt at something deep inside of her. She wondered where his parents were. She touched her necklace and turned her face away.

Aang had promised to take her to the Northern Water Tribe. Katara had hope, for one glorious afternoon, that she’d learn waterbending. That she’d be able to defend her tribe, so that Sokka would never look like this stranger.

Although…Ko _did_ say he was a trader. And so he probably travelled all over the world. Maybe he knew something about waterbending.

“So, I bet you see a lot of bending styles on your travels, right?” Katara smiled winningly. Gran-Gran frowned as Ko turned to her.

“I guess,” he said, and then, after a pause, “Never an airbender, though.”

Katara’s smile dimmed a bit. She didn’t know if she should tell anyone about Aang – the Fire Nation had hunted down all the airbenders, and they didn’t need to know that they missed one boy in an iceberg.

But the kids had already spilled that secret. She supposed it wasn’t _too_ bad to make conversation…especially if the trader had some information about waterbending.

“Aang visited us a few days ago,” Katara said, selectively editing the story, “It was really interesting to meet an airbender.”

“Visited you from where?” Ko asked gruffly, “And are you _sure_ he was an airbender?”

“Yes, he had a staff and he could glide in the air,” Katara explained. Ko leaned forward – he looked almost hungry for more. “I don’t know where he came from, though.”

The boy looked disappointed. “Is he coming back any time soon?” he asked, his gaze fixed on Katara.

“No, I don’t think so,” Katara frowned at Gran-Gran, but the woman was packing up the fruit that they had traded for, “Anyway, about the other bending styles –”

“Katara!”

She started – that couldn’t be –

“Katara, there’s a big problem!” Aang said, gliding in from above and skidding to a halt on the snow, “You have to –”

“Hey, mister!” Sokka marched up from wherever he’d been sulking, already glaring, “You were banished from the village, you can’t just come in whenever you –”

“There’s a Fire Nation ship out there, Katara!” Aang said, completely ignoring her brother. He stared at her, eyes wide.

Katara felt her heart start pounding. She turned to Gran-Gran in shock, and saw that Ko had leapt to his feet – they needed to get ready, they needed to get the kids inside, they –

“You’re the airbender?” Ko asked, confused.

Aang turned to him. “Yup, that’s me!” he grinned. And then he tilted his head to one side, “Wait a minute, who are you? I thought Sokka was the only guy in the village.”

“I’m a trader,” Ko said, very fast. And then, “You’re just a _kid_.”

“Hey, I’m twelve!” Aang narrowed his eyes, and pushed himself forward with a puff of air, until he was in Ko’s personal space, peering up at the trader. “ _You’re_ just a _teenager_.”

Ko scrambled back so fast he nearly plowed into an advancing Sokka. “Listen, I don’t care who you are, or if Katara likes you –”

“Hey!”

“– but you’re not allowed to be in the village. Thank you for warning us, now _leave_.”

“There’s a Fire Nation ship out there, Sokka, we need all the help we can get!” Katara argued.

“He’s the reason they found us, Katara! We don’t need the help of someone we can’t trust!”

“So, I heard you like to visit this village,” Ko said to Aang, “Do you live around here?”

“I mean, I sometimes stay at the Air Temple,” Aang said, “But I travel around the world with Appa – it’s a lot of fun! You get to make new friends _everywhere_.”

“Appa?”

“You are so pigheaded and stubborn and _ugh_ –” Katara snarled, “How are you going to fight the Fire Nation anyway? With that stupid boomerang of yours?”

“My sky bison! Would you like to meet him? He’s pretty tired, so I left him behind when I came to warn you guys.”

“Don’t you _dare_ say anything about boomerang!” Sokka retorted, cuddling his stupid weapon, “It’s okay, boomerang, she didn’t mean it.”

“Guys?” Ko said, a little hesitantly, taking a step closer to the Aang when they both turned to him, “Are we sure there’s a Fire Nation ship nearby?”

“We’re not listening to _you_ , Fire Nation spy,” Sokka sneered.

“Sokka!” Katara gasped, “How can you be so rude? Ko is a trader, not a spy!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Sokka harrumphed.

“…Sokka, he literally brought fruit to trade.”

“It’s just part of his devious plan,” Sokka said, waving the boomerang.

– “Wait – what fruit? Do you have moon peaches? Appa loves moon peaches!” –

Katara rolled her eyes. “Oh, right, his _devious_ plan,” she waved her arms, “To bring us fruit and then learn all our secrets! Like: Sokka is an idiot, he lost a fight with an otter-penguin once, he used a spear and Dad’s old coat to –”

“Katara!” Sokka shouted, ears red. She crossed her arms, scowling.

“Guys, there’s no need to fight!” Aang said, getting between them, “The monks always said that if you couldn’t resolve your disagreements, then you just need more information.” Katara and Sokka glared at each other. “So let’s just go and check on the Fire Nation ship!”

“ _What_?”

“That’s a great idea, Aang!”

“But…you can’t just…”

“Children, no,” Gran-Gran looked alarmed, “None of you are leaving the village.”

“No,” Katara stomped forward, tired of Sokka’s posturing, “No, Aang and I are going to check out the ship. You can all stay here!” With that, she grabbed Aang’s hand and pulled him towards the village entrance.

“ _Katara_!” She ignored Sokka’s shout and continued on her way out.


	2. Lying is Not as Difficult as Azula Makes It Look

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko can’t let the airbender know he’s Fire Nation. Not when he’s so close to finding the airbender's hideout. (In which no one is kidnapped, despite several opinions to the contrary.)

Zuko panicked.

He had found the airbender – who was a _kid_ , why did the other airbenders just let him roam around by himself, didn’t they know how dangerous that was? – but now the water tribe villagers were all up in arms about a Fire Nation ship – which was his ship, he thought he’d anchored it far enough away that no one would notice – and the airbender was heading straight for it.

He needed a plan. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very good at plans.

He needed to talk to the airbender kid – Aang – which meant distracting the other villagers and getting rid of the ship. Maybe if he told them to sail away, and then came back with his boat? That would work, right?

Zuko followed after the angry boy with a spear – Sokka – with his bag, now full of furs and only a few leftover fruits. The boat was where he’d left it, and he waved awkwardly to Angry Spear Boy’s suspicious gaze, starting to make up something about trade routes…but the boy was no longer listening, stomping after – was that his sister? Zuko sympathized – and the airbender kid.

(Of course, Azula never found a toy she didn’t tire of in a few hours, and while the airbender kid _looked_ like he could dodge pretty well, he was more naïve than Ty Lee and probably not as good as chi blocking. Zuko was worried about the airbender kid’s longevity. Why was he cursed with little sisters wherever he went?)

He rowed back as fast as he could, leaving the boat on the far edge of the ship and scaling back onto it. There was no one on deck – it was probably third shift, and Uncle’s stupid Music Night was over.

Zuko snuck across the deck, heading for the command tower. The helmsman and a lieutenant were usually on the bridge at all times, and he would just order them to sail further north, out of the Southern Water Tribe waters. Then he’d sneak back on his boat and ask the airbender kid some more questions.

“Hey!” someone called out and Zuko turned to see Sergeant Shou appearing from behind some crates, frowning, “Where did you –”

Unfortunately, Zuko had not yet seen the airbender kid’s sky bison, and his plan had failed to factor in a ten-ton _flying mammal_ crashing onto his ship.

Sergeant Shou shrieked – a sound that Zuko didn’t think a grown firebender could make – and immediately blasted fire at the sky bison.

“No!” Zuko shouted – the airbender kid would never talk to him if he killed his pet – running forward and waving the sergeant off, “No, don’t!”

Sergeant Shou’s eyes widened upon seeing him, “Prince –” But the rest of his words were cut off as the airbender kid, the angry spear boy, and his sister jumped off the sky bison.

“Stay away from Ko!” the airbender said, and Zuko watched the confusion on the sergeant’s face.

This was not at all going as planned. Zuko stared between the airbender and his crew – the noise was going to bring everyone running, and he couldn’t discreetly tell them not to call him Prince Zuko, and the airbender was going to find out he was lying, and there went his first _real_ chance at finding the Avatar –

Sergeant Shou attacked, the airbender kid shouted, and suddenly there were fierce winds raging across his deck.

Zuko started for the airbender, his hands reaching out, but a gust of wind slammed into him, and sent him flying across the deck.

He hit the command tower, the force driving the breath from his lungs and banging his head against metal.

His last thought, as the dark spots covered his vision, was a mournful, frustrated, _‘this never happens to Azula’_.

* * *

“What…what did we just do?” Katara asked, grasping the saddle tightly. Below them, the Fire Nation ship was getting smaller and smaller, angry shouts fading in the wind.

“We saved Ko!” Aang chirped cheerily. Ko was still and silent, curled up in the corner of the saddle – Sokka was holding onto the trader’s bag, his face mildly green, and Katara had a fistful of his cloak. She wasn’t completely sold on sky bison transport and the water looked _very_ far down.

“We attacked a Fire Nation ship,” Sokka said faintly, “I can’t believe we attacked a Fire Nation ship.”

“We had to! Ko was about to get caught! We couldn’t leave him behind!”

“We have to go back to the village,” Katara said, thinking of Gran-Gran’s concerned face, “We have to warn them.”

“No, we can’t,” Sokka said solemnly and she followed his pointed finger over the side of the saddle.

The Fire Nation ship was following them.

“They know you’re an airbender, Aang,” Sokka said, “If we go back to the village, they’ll just follow us there.”

All three of them stared at the Fire Nation ship.

“That’s okay,” Aang said, “I know somewhere that the Fire Nation can’t follow us. Someplace only an airbender can get to.” He turned in the saddle, facing north. “The Southern Air Temple.”

“Great job, Katara,” Sokka huffed, glaring at her, “Let’s go after a Fire Nation ship! Let’s kidnap a Fire Nation spy! Let’s go to the Southern Air Temple on a flying bison because the _Fire Nation is chasing us_!”

“Oh, shut up Sokka, he’s not a Fire Nation spy.”

* * *

Lieutenant Jee was not being paid enough for this.

Actually, he’d not been paid enough to ferry a spoiled brat around the world on his quest for spirit tales, but he was _definitely_ not being paid enough for this.

“Let me get this straight,” Lieutenant Jee said, struggling to keep his voice level, “You saw the prince walking across the deck wearing a traveling cloak and carrying a heavy bag.”

Three soldiers nodded, their expressions solemn.

“And then a spirit monster landed on the deck and attacked you with wind.”

They nodded again. Their expressions didn’t change. Jee was pretty sure his eye was twitching.

“And then they _kidnapped Prince Zuko_ and flew off into the sky, heading north.”

Another nod. Jee’s teeth were almost grinding together.

“And then. _Then_. YOU LOST THEM?!”

They flinched back, but gave meek nods.

Lieutenant Jee snarled and resisted the urge to bury his head into his hands. “That’s it. I’m stopping the sake rations.”

Immediately, half-formed protests rose up, grating on his already raging headache. How was he supposed to find the prince if he’d been abducted by a spirit tale?

General Iroh poured himself another cup of tea and stared up at the skies.

“What did you say this spirit monster looked like?” he asked contemplatively.

* * *

Zuko groaned, slowly drifting back to consciousness. He felt like he’d been trapped under a komodo rhino stampede. Or he’d been used as Ty Lee’s practice dummy again.

He cracked his eyes open – blue skies, wind ruffling at his clothes – and those clouds were _much_ closer than clouds were supposed to be.

He bolted upright, grabbing his pounding head with a hiss, and surveyed his surroundings.

Angry Spear Boy, looking slightly nauseous. Check, and Zuko inched away from him. Angry Spear Boy’s Little Sister, peering at him curiously. Check. Airbender Kid, turning to give him a beaming smile, and holding onto what looked like reins.

“You’re awake, Ko!”

Check – wait a minute.

Zuko looked around. And then he looked _down_.

Zuko grabbed the saddle he was sitting on with two hands and tried not to pass out. “Where am I?” he croaked, still staring at the sparkling blue waters of the ocean, a long, _long_ way down.

“This is Appa!” the airbender kid chirped. This was a _sky bison_? Zuko had the sudden urge to sit down. On solid ground.

“We’re flying,” Zuko said, in a pitch higher than his usual tone. He had been expecting human airbenders. Not – not _animal airbenders_.

Zuko had a lot of questions.

(What if the Avatar was an _animal_?

No. No, he had to get ahold of himself. The Avatar had to be human.

…

What if the Avatar was a _turtleduck_?)

“Yup!” the airbender kid said, “We had to get away from the Fire Nation ship.”

Right. The Fire Nation ship. _His_ Fire Nation ship. Wait a minute –

“What?” Zuko asked. They had attacked his ship, he remembered that, but then there had been winds whipping around him and he’d hit his head and – and everything was blank.

“What were you doing on the Fire Nation ship anyway?” Angry Spear Boy asked suspiciously.

Oh no. Zuko did not have enough time to come up with a lie. The water was a _long_ way down.

“What Fire Nation ship?”

Angry Spear Boy still looked suspicious. His sister, however, frowned worriedly. “How hard did you hit your head?” she murmured.

(Very hard. Not hard enough to forget how monumentally stupid his idea had been. What was he thinking? He couldn’t pass as a trader! He should’ve just pretended to be a spirit. Agni knew he’d heard enough of Uncle’s spirit tales to fake one.)

“Um,” Zuko said, unable to tear his gaze from the ocean. The ocean which was, in fact, moving. They were heading north by the looks of things. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe!” the airbender kid said, “We couldn’t leave you behind on the Fire Nation ship. If you tell us where your ship is, we can drop you off!”

His ship. Right. His ship – the one that couldn’t look like a Fire Nation ship, because that would be _bad._

Zuko swallowed.

“What ship?”

He was met with two very concerned looks and one deeply suspicious one. “I think we need to get you to a healer,” Angry Spear Boy’s sister said, worried.

“Don’t worry, Katara,” the airbender kid reassured her, “There are some herbs that grow in the Southern Air Temple that’re good for wounds. And we’ll find healers there too!”

“The Southern Air Temple?” For the first moment since he woke up in the middle of the air on top of a sky bison, Zuko’s day seemed to be looking up.

“Yup!” the airbender kid grinned, “Home sweet home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Zuko Is Unimpressed by the Airbender Kid’s Lying Skills
> 
> Zuko has a growing suspicion that the airbenders are more devious and ruthless than he anticipated. As could only be expected, from a race that managed to live in hiding for a hundred years.


	3. Zuko Is Unimpressed by the Airbender Kid’s Lying Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko has a growing suspicion that the airbenders are more devious and ruthless than he anticipated. As could only be expected, from a race that managed to live in hiding for a hundred years. (In which the Southern Air Temple fails to live up to expectations.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the lovely comments are inspiring me to write more quickly!

The furs in Ko-the-possible-concussed-Fire-Nation-spy’s bag would serve as their bed rolls, but the possible-Fire-Nation-spy-definitely-concussed trader had only a few moon peaches left and the moment he’d taken them out, Appa had huffed over and stolen them right out of his hand.

And then licked Ko-the-possible-concussed-Fire-Nation-spy like he wasn’t a possible Fire Nation spy.

“That was the last of our food,” Katara huffed, levelling Appa with an unimpressed look. Appa huffed back, in the tone that Sokka interpreted as ‘ _who just carried you away from a Fire Nation ship_?’.

Aang rubbed his head. “Sorry Katara, but Appa _loves_ moon peaches.”

“It’s okay,” Ko-the-possible-concussed-Fire-Nation-spy said, getting up. He seemed to be moving alright, no dizziness or shakiness and Sokka was extremely skeptical that he didn’t remember where his own ship was. Or what he’d been doing on the Fire Nation ship. “I’ll go get us some food.”

Sokka grabbed his spear and scrambled after him. “Just making sure you don’t collapse somewhere,” he said when the older teen glanced back at him. _Just making sure you aren’t signaling your Fire Nation buddies_.

Ko-the-concussed-Fire-Nation-spy didn’t protest his presence, only shot him a sidelong glance. Sokka shivered – the guy still kept his hood up, but it was difficult to miss the giant scar covering half his face.

It was putting a damper on his theory that the guy was a Fire Nation spy. Weren’t firebenders…fireproof?

“So,” Sokka said as they entered the woods. The mountains were steep and ragged and Sokka couldn’t see any sign of life. “How are you planning to hunt?”

The first sign of sparks, and Ko-the-concussed-Fire-Nation-spy was going to get a spear in the gut.

But Ko didn’t even look at him as he unsheathed a pair of dao swords. Sokka stared.

“What?” Ko-the- _swordsman_ said bitingly.

“Do you know how to use those?” Sokka almost whimpered. He had _always_ wanted to learn how to use a sword, ever since Gran-Gran had told them the tale of the Rakun the Fierce, the pirate who’d commanded the seas.

Ko stared at him. “Do you think I’m carrying these around for _fun_?” he said, his voice harsher than before.

Sokka didn’t really notice. “Can you teach me how to use them?” he asked, his eyes sparkling, “Please?”

Ko turned away and walked deeper into the forest. Sokka didn’t let that deter him, and raced to block his path, staring up at Ko. “Please, please, pretty please!”

Ko huffed. “ _Alright_ , now get out of the way!”

Sokka got out of the way and followed his new teacher, grinning. Finally, one of Katara’s idiotic plans had worked out in his favor.

* * *

“The banished prince’s ship, sir,” a soldier said, delivering him a message.

Zhao smiled.

* * *

Katara had been slightly worried for Ko’s safety – both concerned about his head injury and distrustful of Sokka’s motives – and glanced frequently at the forest they’d disappeared to while Aang chattered happily.

He still didn’t believe her when she said that the airbenders were gone and she gently tried to prepare him for the possibility that the Southern Air Temple would be empty. He insisted that no one but an airbender could get to the top, but she wasn’t so sure.

The Fire Nation was a bunch of determined, ruthless killers. She wouldn’t put anything past them.

(Look what happened to her tribe. To her mother. Look what happened to Ko’s face.)

To her surprise, Ko returned with two squirrel-possums hanging from his right arm and Sokka hanging from his left.

“Can you start teaching me now?” Sokka asked, flitting around Ko as he stalked back to the campfire.

Ko growled something inaudible, dropped the dead squirrel-possums next to the fire, dropped a bag of fruit next to Aang, and some moon-peaches in front of Appa. He then deftly dodged Appa’s tongue, leaving Sokka spluttering and covered in sky bison saliva as Ko headed for the water.

“You guys became friends,” Aang said brightly, “That’s awesome!”

“He has dao swords and he said he’d start teaching me!” Sokka said, staring after Ko with stars in his eyes.

Katara suppressed her giggles but did nothing to hide her smirk as she began preparing dinner.

* * *

Zhao was waiting when the banished prince’s ship skulked into the harbor, looking miniscule next to the mighty warships of the Fire Nation.

The crew began the necessary preparations to refuel, as a lieutenant with gray hair and a fat general disembarked from the ship.

“General Iroh,” Zhao smiled, “Hero of our nation. It is an honor.”

“I am retired, Captain Zhao,” the general smiled brightly.

“Commander, now,” Zhao smiled. The promotion had been well worth the cost. He cast a glance at the ship and the angry ex-prince that was not storming off of it. “And where is Prince Zuko?”

“Ah,” the general stroked his beard, “Don’t worry, Commander Zhao, Prince Zuko is absolutely fine!” He gave him a beaming smile. The lieutenant next to him shifted, staring straight ahead fixedly.

“Of course,” Zhao said, and let them pass. It looked like he had to interrogate the crew after all.

The banished prince’s mission was a futile one, but if the Avatar _had_ been found…well then, Zhao intended to take that glory for himself.

Unfortunately, the banished prince’s motley crew lived up to their reputation. They were drunk and disorderly and spun elaborate tales of spirit monsters and abduction and light shows, each more embellished than the last.

Zhao sent them on their way with extra rations of sake. One thing was clear – the banished prince was missing, and it would be better for everyone if his crew never found him.

Zhao returned to work, dreaming about an ex-prince drowning in icy waters. What a fitting end for a cowardly firebender.

(Perhaps it was time to consolidate power, and offer a consolation letter to the crown princess-to-be.)

* * *

It was stunning.

Zuko had never approached any of the Air Temples by air and he had never imagined this splendor – white stone and twisting arches and moss-covered columns, perched upon a mountaintop like gravity was for lesser people.

He stared at it, and fought not to shudder. The Southern Air Temple had been the last he’d visited – the Western and Eastern ones were easy enough to access and the Northern had tunnels, but for the Southern, he’d had to scale up the mountainside with grim determination.

None of his crew had made the trip with him, not even Uncle. And Zuko had seen the bones and had known that no airbender still lived here.

He couldn’t clean up all the bones, but he did his best, cremating those he knew to be Fire Nation soldiers, and when he’d returned to the ship, ash-covered and grief-stricken, he ordered the ship to warmer waters.

No airbenders lived in the Temples anymore. But Zuko had timed how long it had taken him to reach the top, clad in no armor and carrying no provisions, and had counted the bones he’d found. There was plenty of time for the airbenders to flee in the sight of the Fire Nation Army, and what was left behind suggested that they did so.

Which meant that the Avatar was alive. That the airbenders were alive. And now there was living proof in front of him, in the form of a boy that _would not shut up_ and still managed to say nothing of value.

“It’s beautiful,” Katara breathed. It was. But Zuko couldn’t help but imagine what it looked like at the height of its power, stone polished to a gleam and monks flitting around. It brought a lump to his throat.

(He tried to tell himself that the lump was due to the glory and might of his nation. It didn’t quite stick.)

He didn’t follow the airbender and the water tribe kids as they explored the Temple. He had already seen enough of it, and he especially didn’t want to disturb a direct descendent of the massacre his great-grandfather started as he explored what could’ve been his home.

He stayed close to Appa, in a grove of trees that might’ve been a garden once, and stared past the edge to the mountains that poked out through the clouds. He gathered a few fruits – and was surprised when his collection of moon-peaches was invaded by something small and chattering. And flying.

Did all the animals in the Air Temples fly?

(Zuko was beginning to have suspicions about the palace turtleducks. Azula had once tried to convince him that they breathed fire. What if she hadn’t been lying?)

Zuko left his collection to the…flying lemur? And headed back to Appa.

Aang was a kid and very good at misdirection for all that he pretended to be friendly. He claimed he was from the Southern Air Temple, he claimed to have traveled all over the world, he showed no fear in interacting with the Fire Nation and Zuko knew that all three had to be lies.

Zuko didn’t know how to get useful information out of a liar. If there was one thing Azula had taught him, it was that trying to find the truth ended up with more humiliating lies. And he didn’t know where Uncle was, or his ship, and – and he couldn’t just let Uncle think he vanished, that would be _cruel_.

He had found out that airbenders still lived, and that he was better at disguises than he thought he was. Now, he needed to find a way to get the airbender kid to open up to him and tell him where the Avatar was hiding.

Failing that, he needed a show of power to _force_ the airbender kid to tell him where the Avatar was hiding.

Either way, he needed his ship back.

Zuko’s musings were abruptly broken by a sudden storm as winds blasted out from the Temple, gales bending the trees and causing Appa to grumble. Zuko ran for the Temple – had they been attacked? Were there still airbenders in the temple? What was going on?

The winds died as suddenly as they started, and Zuko burst into a courtyard to see Aang sobbing on the ground, with Sokka and Katara braced behind pieces of stone.

“What happened?” Zuko asked, checking for any sign of an attack and finding none. There were many more Fire Nation bones here, scattered across the courtyard, and Zuko felt sick.

Aang looked up at Zuko with a stricken expression. “I’m the Avatar.”

Sokka and Katara gasped, and Zuko felt his heart stutter.

He couldn’t breathe. He needed to sit down. All his years of searching – his honor, his _home_ – were over. Father would be proud of him. He found the Avatar. After a hundred years, _he_ had found the Avatar –

The Avatar. The airbender Avatar, who would’ve been a child when Sozin attacked. The airbender Avatar, who would be over a hundred years old right now. The airbender Avatar, who couldn’t _possibly_ be a child, because the circle would have to pass through Water, Earth, and Fire, before it came back to Air.

“Prove it,” Zuko said, his words harsh with furious disappointment.

“What?” Aang raised his tearstained face to him.

“Prove it,” Zuko repeated, “Bend another element.”

“I – I can’t,” Aang sniffled, “I haven’t learned them yet. I – I ran away before I could.” He burst into fresh tears and Katara hurried to his side to envelop him in a hug. “I ran away,” he sobbed, “They were going to take me away from my teacher and – and I ran and now I’ll never see them again.”

“It’s okay,” Katara soothed, “It’s okay, that was a long time ago, it’s okay.”

Zuko sat down, hard. Along with the sharp curl of disappointment was a pang of disbelieving horror. He had heard that the airbenders were monsters. But to use a child as a decoy to keep the Avatar safe? That was _disgusting_.

“That’s why I wanted to go to the Northern Water Tribe,” Aang looked up at Katara, “So that I could learn waterbending.”

“Then we’ll go,” Katara promised, “We’ll get you to the Northern Water Tribe and then we can learn waterbending and you’ll master all the elements and defeat the Fire Nation!”

Zuko stared at the airbender and resisted the urge to set something on fire.

This was ridiculous. _Azula_ had been better at lying when she was _five_. (She knew how to stick to things that sounded true and wounded deep.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Four: Aang is Very Good at Pretending to Be the Avatar
> 
> Zuko and Katara are unimpressed by the hero worship, but very impressed by all Avatar-related information that lies on Kyoshi Island. (In which Sokka learns many lessons.)


	4. Aang is Very Good at Pretending to Be the Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Katara are unimpressed by the hero worship, but very impressed by all Avatar-related information that lies on Kyoshi Island. (In which secret letters abound.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about when the real canon divergence begins (I say, as if Zuko kidnapped by the Gaang wasn't enough of a canon divergence). But mostly because I found an extremely detailed map of ATLA and my muse snatched greedily at the possibilities. (Do you know how many plot points-ahem, strategic locations lie to the south of the Earth Kingdom?)

_To: His Majesty Fire Lord Ozai, Supreme Commander of the Fire Nation by the grace of Agni and the will of Fire._

****

_The exile is missing. Former General Iroh suspects spirits. The Wani will be traveling to the Earth Kingdom for the former general to follow through on his leads._

_I put a proposition in front of Your Majesty the last time we spoke. Has Your Majesty given any further thought to the matter? I would like to draw your attention to the writings that seem to suggest that the doors between the Spirit World and ours lie open only by the will of the Great Spirits._

_Your humble servant,_

_Commander Zhao of the Southwestern Fleet_

* * *

“Katara, my pants tore!” She barely looked up in time to avoid a pair of flying pants as Sokka strolled back into camp, distinctly pant-less. “And hurry up! I’m training with Ko now.”

Ko looked up, saw the expression on Katara’s face, and wisely sidled back.

Katara took a deep breath before she began shouting.

Sokka covered his ears for most of it, and it was clear her tirade had no impact. “Well, I don’t know how to sew,” Sokka pointed out, “And besides, it’s a girl’s job! Right, Ko?”

Katara glared at him, just _daring_ him to make a sexist comment – Sokka had become even more insufferable now that he’d found another teenager to preen in front of and Katara refused to put up with all his stupid posturing.

“I know how to sew,” Ko said neutrally.

Sokka gaped at him. “But – but it’s a girl’s job!” he spluttered.

Ko considered him for a long moment before glancing at Katara. “It teaches patience and attention to detail,” he said finally, “Qualities that any good swordsman should possess.”

Sokka stared at him a second more. “I can be patient and I’m great at details!” he said, and grabbed his pants out of Katara’s hands, “You’re right – I don’t need a _girl_ to sew my pants. She’d probably draw flowers all over it or something!”

Katara resisted the urge to throw the water pot at Sokka’s head and consoled herself with the thought of his red and pinpricked fingers. _She_ was certainly not going to teach him how to sew.

Ko waited until Sokka was absorbed in his task, complete with near-silent muttering on how sewing wasn’t all that difficult if girls could do it, before turning back towards her. “You’re a waterbender,” he noted.

She stared at him, and then spun around to see the waves beginning to recede on the beach, far above than the water line. “The last waterbender in the entire South Pole,” she said quietly, touching her pendant.

If she knew how to control it, she could drench Sokka every time he said something stupid.

(If she knew how to control it, maybe the firebenders wouldn’t have taken Mom.)

“I’m sorry,” he said, awkward and quiet.

“That’s why I want to go to the North Pole,” Katara said, staring at the waves. She stepped closer, feeling the push-and-pull in her fingers. “I tried to teach myself waterbending, but…” She pushed, and water arched up – for a second, before it collapsed. “I’m not very good at it.”

Ko was silent and Sokka was still muttering unflattering things. She stared at the waves for another long second, watching them arc and crest and crash into white foam, before Ko interrupted her musings.

“You need to move more for that technique.”

“What?”

“You need to move more, uh, deeply,” Ko cleared his throat, and illustrated, settling into a lower stance and pushing through his body before arching his hands up and swaying back.

Katara copied his movements – and gasped as water swelled ten feet in the air. The water wavered and crashed back down the moment she moved out of the stance, but she didn’t care, she was already turning back to Ko with wide eyes. “You’re a waterbender!”

“No!” Ko almost-shouted, and Katara froze. Sokka looked up from his pants. “No,” he repeated, calmer, “Sorry. I’ve just read a couple of waterbending scrolls, that’s all.”

“Don’t encourage her magic water thingy!” Sokka hissed, “It’ll only end up with everything soaked, and I’m speaking from personal, _painful_ experience.”

“Shut up, Sokka,” Katara said, staring at Ko with her best version of a pleading expression. (It had gotten magnitudes better since she’d met Aang.) “Can you please teach me the other techniques on the scrolls?”

“I – I’ll try,” Ko said awkwardly. She couldn’t see much of his face – he still refused to pull his hood down, despite Katara’s gentle hints that it was okay and they’d already seen his scar – but it was definitely tinged red. “I don’t have the scrolls with me – they’re on my – on the ship.”

“Do you remember where your ship is now?” Sokka asked curiously. They hadn’t found any healers in the Air Temple, but Katara had brewed a tea with some herbs that Aang had found and although Ko had grimaced while drinking the tea, he seemed to have recovered from his dazed confusion. He’d certainly become more…purposeful.

“They wouldn’t have waited,” Ko said, after a pause. “I’ll probably catch up to them somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. Once we find some docks, I can ask around.”

“But you do remember some techniques from the scroll, right?” Katara pressed. She was not letting her first chance at actual waterbending techniques slip out of her hands. “Can you teach me them? Please?”

“Katara, he’s teaching _me_ swordsmanship,” Sokka said, pointing the needle at her and looking betrayed. “You always steal my stuff, it’s not fair!”

“You can’t train without pants,” Katara pointed out, looping her arm with Ko’s and dragging him closer to the ocean. “Now, can you show me that first technique again? I think I almost have it…”

* * *

Aang flew back into camp an hour later, cheerful and covered in white flowers. Momo flew next to him, chittering furiously, and Zuko tossed the flying lemur a moon peach, which it caught and then perched on top of Zuko’s head to eat. His _itchy_ head, because he didn’t have his shaving kit and he wasn’t going to use his _dao_ , and he’d panicked and cut off his phoenix tail, afraid that it would out him before he got his information.

(He had spent years growing out that phoenix tail, but sacrifices had to be made. The Avatar was more important than anything else. And he already knew he had no honor.)

Of course, then Appa lumbered over for his own treat and Zuko had to endure a warm puff of air as the bison nearly fell on top of him. Aang eyed the fruits, but was happily distracted by Katara’s waterbending.

“Ooh, that looks interesting, what are you doing?”

Zuko submitted to the six-legged extortionist’s demand of belly scritches. Momo flew to attack Sokka – who had _just_ managed to thread the needle and dropped both with a curse as he fought with the flying lemur. Zuko hid his smile in bison fur.

He hadn’t had so much _fun_ in years. The Southern Air Temple, the hopping llamas, Katara’s and Sokka’s bickering, Momo and Appa…

  
Zuko knew that he needed to follow the airbender back to his hideout and learn his tricks so he could capture the _real_ Avatar, but it was…nice, to spend time with children that were _not_ Azula and her crazy friends.

“Can you teach me waterbending too?” Aang bounced over to Zuko, and behind him, he caught Katara’s worried look as she bit her lip.

So someone else had caught on as well.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Zuko tried for Uncle’s tone when Zuko had asked for advanced firebending lessons at the age of eleven. “You should probably learn from an actual master. Katara and I are still figuring this out.”

Katara gave him a slightly grateful smile as Aang pouted. Then the airbender-kid-who-thought-he-was-the-Avatar brightened. “I’ll just have Katara teach me once she becomes a master!” Katara beamed and Aang floated over to Sokka and Momo’s angry-yelling-snide-chattering fight to break it up.

He really shouldn’t give the airbender kid false hope…but he was still just a kid. It was for the best.

(Uncle certainly thought so – Zuko _still_ hadn’t started the advanced set.)

* * *

“The elephant koi, Katara!” Aang shouted, and headed for the water – and jerked to a halt as a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

He twisted to peer up into Ko’s face. He looked…worried, even though the scar twisted it into a scowl.

(The scar twisted _everything_ into a scowl. Aang had only seen the one Fire Nation ship, and Katara had told him about her mother, but it was Ko’s face that had hammered the reality home. The Fire Nation really _had_ taken over the world, and they were hurting so many people.)

“Are you crazy?” Ko hissed, “The Unagi’s going to eat you!”

“The Una-what?” Sokka asked, staring into the water, “I can’t see anything.”

“The Unagi,” Ko repeated slowly, “The giant sea serpent that defends the harbor? How did you think Kyoshi Island manages to stay neutral?”

“Buddy, I only understood ‘giant’ and ‘sea serpent’ and I really need you to clarify if this is some kind of weird Earth Kingdom code.”

“The Unagi is a giant sea serpent,” Ko said flatly, dropping Aang and pointing to the harbor, “It’s the reason the Fire Nation hasn’t attacked Kyoshi Island.”

Aang couldn’t see a giant sea serpent. He could only see the elephant koi jumping out of the sparkling waters, practically _daring_ him to ride them –

“ _Do not_ go into the water,” Ko snarled, muttering under his breath about ‘idiot airbender kids’. Aang took offense to that remark! He wasn’t an idiot, he was the _Avatar_. And besides, Aang had been here before and had ridden the elephant koi and there had been absolutely no sea serpent, it would be _fine_ –

_“When you come across a river, you must watch the fishermen, and not the fish,”_ Monk Gyatso’s voice sounded gently and Aang scowled.

Fine. He would listen to Ko about his imaginary sea serpent. And he’d just come up with a new airbending trick with a marble that Katara was going to love!

* * *

Sokka made sure to grab Ko before Katara sucked him into playing with magic water and tugged the boy to a small clearing slightly inland. He had finally fixed his pants (kind of…sort of…well, the hole wasn’t as big anymore, which was really what counted) and he was ready to learn some swordplay.

Ko grabbed one of the two wooden sticks that Sokka had found and sharpened (Ko had flatly refused to hand over his swords) and slid into a low stance, his free hand curled back.

Sokka tried to emulate him and Ko watched him carefully, nudging his feet apart wider and pushing him deeper into the stance. Sokka moved with the corrections and, for a moment, felt a sharp pang as he remembered his father teaching him with the same easy grace.

“So, who did you learn swordplay from?” Sokka asked, as Ko walked around him critically one last time, checking his stance. “Your father?”

Ko stilled completely. “No,” he said flatly. His tone of voice wasn’t encouraging.

“Well, whoever it was, they must’ve been pretty good,” Sokka backpedaled, as Ko stepped back and took up a ready position of his own.

“They were the best,” Ko agreed, and attacked.

Sokka managed to catch two blows before Ko’s stick thwacked into his side. His jacket thankfully blunted the strike.

“You’re watching the sword,” Ko said.

“Am I not supposed to?”

“No. The sword can only go where I make it go. Watch _me_.” They set up again, and this time Sokka caught the shift in movement and blocked the strike. Then Ko faked with to the right before pulling out and tapping his left shoulder. Sokka lunged too far to block the strike, overcompensated, and lost his balance.

“You didn’t watch my feet. I didn’t commit to the strike.”

Sokka grumbled as he got up, brushing the dirt off of him. He could see the faintest hint of a smile under Ko’s hood.

“You know, you can take that off,” Sokka motioned to the hood. Ko stilled. “I mean, it’s not that cold.”

“I’m aware,” Ko said chillingly.

Sokka had definitely stepped in it this time. “I just mean – I –” (Where was Katara when he needed her?) “I mean – we’ve seen it. The scar. It’s okay.”

Ko looked like a statue, stiff and rigid. 

“It’s okay. The Fire Nation – I’ve seen what the Fire Nation can do. What they did. To my family.” He still remembered running after his dad at Katara’s shriek and the body they hadn’t been fast enough to hide.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ko said roughly, settling back into his stance before freezing again.

“Okay, but you don’t need to –”

“Shut up!” Ko hissed.

Affronted, Sokka snapped his mouth shut, but offense slid into fear as Ko dropped the stick and unsheathed his weapons. “What is it?” Sokka whispered.

“Quiet.” Ko tilted his head towards the forest.

“What about Katara and –”

He barely caught sight of their attackers. He could hear Ko’s snarl as someone punched him in the gut, knocking the stick from his hand and slamming him down into the dirt. He groaned, looking up to see Ko surrounded by four figures in green, his dao blades out. Another figure was approaching from behind and Sokka tried to call out a warning, but he choked on dirt as rope pulled his arms back painfully.

* * *

_Dear Ping,_

_Everything is well here. The farm is running smoothly now that we have a few extra barrels of wine, courtesy of Neighbor Zheng. He appreciates a good story now and again._

_We were discussing one of the older ones, about Princess Makoto and the dragon who stole her into the sky. My favorite part was when the dragon took her to the Spirit World. It’s a pity that she couldn’t stay there for long, not without becoming a spirit herself. Forgive me for my reminiscing, but I am an old man, set in my ways, and there is little new to discuss when there are no visitors to town._

_How is your family? I’ve been thinking about making a trip up to see you, if these old bones will let me. How I wish I could bring the children up to meet you, but there are too many of them to corral for a trip. Especially with the war – every day the Fire Nation gets closer, it seems._

_I hope you are doing well, and I look forward to meeting you again. Perhaps you can humor an old man, and tell him some new stories._

_Your old friend,_

_Liu_

* * *

“Where are the men who attacked us?” the definitely-sea-serpent-bait shouted indignantly, staring around her as if someone was hiding behind her skirt.

“There were no men,” Suki snarled, “It was just us.”

His friend, the one with the gigantic scar that had fought well, scowled towards empty space.

“Stop lying,” sea-serpent-bait said, puffed up, “There’s no way I don’t taken down by a _girl_. Right, Ko?”

Ko-with-the-unfortunate-scar kept scowling, but didn’t say a word. Smart boy.

“They could be Fire Nation spies,” Oyaji mused. Everyone carefully avoided looking at the giant burn scar.

“I’m not a Fire Nation spy,” the youngest one chirped, “I’m the Avatar.” He slipped out of his bonds like they weren’t even there and jumped nearly the height of the statue.

“He’s an airbender!”

“The _Avatar_?”

“The Avatar is back!”

“Oh, I can’t believe it –”

“A hundred years –”

“That’s airbending!”

“The Avatar!”

Ko-with-the-unfortunate-scar winced. Sea-serpent-bait kept glowering at her. And the kid – the Avatar took out – was that a marble?

* * *

“They snuck up on me!” Sokka snarled, and Katara giggled.

“Yeah, and _then_ they kicked your butt,” she said.

“They beat Ko too!”

Zuko gave him a narrow-eyed glare, chewing on his lunch and resolutely not thinking about what Uncle would’ve thought of all this new, delicious food.

Zuko had nearly had a heart attack when he’d been ambushed, only a half-panicked thought that they (and Sokka and Katara and Aang) would murder him if they realized he was a firebender had stopped his flames when he’d been disarmed. The Kyoshi Warriors were very good. Almost as good as Ty Lee and Mai.

(And Zuko was a talentless firebender and not even a real swordsman so he really should’ve expected the defeat.)

“But it actually took some effort to beat Ko,” Katara said, “You went down with one hit!”

“They were cheating!” Sokka snapped, “There’s no way I was beaten by a bunch of _girls_! Girls can’t fight – Ko, tell them!”

Zuko looked at Katara, whose smile had taken the edge that signified a water pot was about to burst, and Aang, who was watching with far-too-impressionable eyes. “Have you ever met a girl?” he asked honestly, because every single one _Zuko_ had come across had definitely been dangerous.

Katara shrieked with sudden laughter and Aang giggled as Sokka’s face turned a bright red. “Of course I have!” he shouted, his voice two octaves higher than usual, “I’m going to prove it – challenge them to an _honorable_ match instead of sneak attacks and cheating and –”

He left, still muttering, and Katara turned to collapse against his shoulder, still giggling. Zuko went very still. “Thanks, Ko, I needed that,” she said between hiccups, “I’m glad you’re not a jerk like Sokka.”

“Uh…thanks?”

“Look, Katara, they’re repainting the Kyoshi statue in my honor,” Aang chirped, hanging out the window. Zuko reminded himself that the boy was an airbender and resisted the urge to tug him back inside the room. “I’ve made the people of this village so happy!”

Zuko couldn’t help the way his face twisted. It was all a lie, and if the boy wasn’t careful, people were going to _believe_ it.

Not Kyoshi Island. People who actually mattered. People who would attack first and ask questions later.

And Zuko would lose the first lead he’d found in three years.

Katara caught on to his displeasure and sternly warned Aang about letting all the Avatar stuff go to his head, but Aang blithely pushed her aside and told her not to worry.

And then he flittered off to play with his new friends, because he was a twelve-year-old boy and not actually the Avatar.

Zuko slipped out before Katara’s eyes could land on him. Sokka had been happily distracted and he didn’t have time to watch Katara’s waterbending. He had wanted to visit Kyoshi Island for years – any records of past Avatars in the Air Temples had been burned to ash and Zuko needed information to prepare himself about what he was up against.

(The Fire Nation’s records on Avatar Roku were in the Caldera. And there were absolutely no exceptions in the terms of his exile.)

Avatar Kyoshi’s records would be a goldmine. And with everyone distracted by Aang, this was the perfect chance for some sneaking.

* * *

“Ko!” she caught sight of the trader in the shadows of a shop after Aang had ignored her (and she was _not_ jealous, thank you very much and what was there even to be jealous about, _she_ was trying to be responsible and they were _supposed_ to be going to the North Pole and what kind of a stupid nickname was _Aangie_ anyway, it was absolutely ridiculous).

Ko startled, like he was surprised to hear her voice, and didn’t turn around until she’d caught up to him. He was still wearing the hood – everyone had come to the unspoken conclusion to ignore it for now.

“Ko, wait up! What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he said very quickly.

“Are you going to train with Sokka?” Katara asked, “I saw him with Suki and the others.” She left out the part where she took a good long look to fix the image of Sokka in a _dress_ in her head.

“No.”

Great – that meant he was all hers. “I found a water pot – I know I _almost_ got the third move, if you could show me the hand movements again –”

“I’m busy,” Ko cut her off.

Katara narrowed her eyes, a little hurt. First Aang had brushed her off, and now Ko. “Busy doing what?” she challenged.

“Um.” Katara looked up and realized they were walking further inland, towards a cluster of buildings near the headman’s residence.

“Where are we going?” she asked. Was Ko going to ask about trade routes? Had he found his ship?

Ko mumbled something under his breath, but she caught the word ‘scrolls’. “What scrolls?” she asked.

“Uh, there are probably some scrolls of Avatar Kyoshi…and it would probably be pretty interesting to see them…and I’m not sure when I’d get the chance again…”

“Avatar Kyoshi’s scrolls?” Katara repeated, still confused – and then it clicked. “Like waterbending scrolls!” She tackled Ko in a hug, and he went rigid. “Thank you so much, Ko! You’ve given me so much help in learning waterbending!”

“Right. Helping you learn waterbending. That’s what I’m doing.”

“Come on! We’ll go ask about the scrolls right now!” She released him from the hug and dragged him towards the main residence. She couldn’t believe she’d actually get the chance to learn from _actual waterbending scrolls_.

From Avatar Kyoshi’s waterbending scrolls, no less!

And she never would’ve thought about it if Ko hadn’t mentioned it. She gave him a warm smile as the Headman agreed to their request, showing them to Kyoshi’s shrine. She really was glad that they’d rescued him from that Fire Nation ship, even if it’d meant they couldn’t go home.

“There are only a few scrolls that Kyoshi left behind – sadly many of them were taken back by her teachers,” the Headman said, pointing at a small cupboard. The rest of the room had Kyoshi’s uniform, her weapons, and several paintings of her in battle. “But her notes and letters have been preserved. Please be careful with them.”

“Of course,” Katara said, giving him her best beaming smile, the one she usually reserved for turning on Dad whenever she was about to blame something on Sokka. Ko was already opening up the first scroll.

The Headman was right. There _were_ only a few scrolls left – one on airbending that was of no use to anyone, though Ko had scrutinized it carefully after she put it aside, two on firebending that she wished Ko hadn’t seen, because his fingers shook while he was reading them, and one on waterbending that was definitely not a beginner’s scroll. 

She still put it aside as she turned to the notes, hoping that maybe Kyoshi had noted down her favorite technique, or tricks to help her with waterbending – according to the Avatar cycle, she would’ve definitely learnt water last, so maybe there were some useful insights that would help Katara.

Ko left her to it, reading all the letters about politics and war that Katara had cast aside – Chin the Conqueror and an Earth Kingdom army and it had surprised her that the Fire Nation had not always been the biggest villain – presumably hunting for information on trade routes and similar things.

The sun was low in the sky when she stumbled upon a shocking paragraph – she reread it a couple of times, half-convinced that the low light was playing tricks on her. But no, there it was, at the end of a letter Kyoshi had sent back home while in the midst of her waterbending training. Her waterbending training, _in the Earth Kingdom_.

“There are waterbenders in the Earth Kingdom,” she said, numb.

All this time, she had thought only of the North Pole. All this time, she imagined only their sister tribe, far to the North, at the opposite edge of the world – never _dreaming_ that a teacher could be much, much closer.

“What?”

She handed Ko the letter and watched what was visible of his face turn to surprise. “I’ve never heard of waterbenders in the Earth Kingdom,” he said finally.

Of course. The Fire Nation had invaded the Earth Kingdom first, years before they went after the Water Tribes, years before they even attacked the airbenders. It was more than likely that these waterbenders were long gone. But –

“You don’t know that for sure,” Katara said.

“Katara,” Ko said softly, still staring at the letter, “I’m not sure you should –”

“The swamp,” Katara cut him off, scrambling for the giant Earth Kingdom map on the table, “Kyoshi mentioned a swamp in her letter.”

“Katara, I don’t think –”

There was a massive swamp, just north of Kyoshi Island. It had to be what Kyoshi was talking about. “It’s right here,” Katara said. Far closer than the Northern Water Tribe. Maybe a day’s journey on Appa.

“Katara.” Ko had joined her in staring at the map. “You don’t even know if that’s the right swamp.”

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t even know if there are still waterbenders there.”

“I don’t care.” She began putting the letters and scrolls back where she found them, almost shaking from anticipation.

“You don’t even know if this map is up to date,” Ko said softly.

“I don’t care.” She stepped closer to him, staring past the shadow of his hood. “I’ve spent my _entire life_ wishing for a waterbending teacher. Now it’s almost in my grasp.” She swallowed painfully, “Maybe you’re right. Maybe they’re gone. Maybe the Fire Nation murdered them.” Ko flinched back. “But I _have_ to try.”

* * *

_To: Her Royal Highness, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, by the grace of Agni and the will of Fire._

_Your brother has tragically been lost at sea. Your grieving uncle claims that it is the work of spirits and intends to find him by hunting spirit tales._

_I felt it best to warn you of these spirits, Princess, to ensure your path is never mired by these pitfalls. It was not reasonable to entrust the dangerous task of hunting the Avatar to an exile._

_Should you ever be in need of intelligence on the Spirit World, I am yours to command, Princess._

_May Agni always lit your path._

_Your humble servant,_

_Commander Zhao of the Southwestern Fleet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Chapter Five: Hallucinations are Not Cool
> 
> The Swamp is one of the most spiritual places in the Earth Kingdom. This is not a good thing.


	5. Hallucinations are Not Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Swamp is one of the most spiritual places in the Earth Kingdom. This is not a good thing. (What three things cannot long be hidden?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I knew what was going to happen in this chapter and how I wanted it to end, but wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next, so my writing kind of stalled until I got an idea. (And what an idea it was.)

“I’m sorry, General,” Jee said through gritted teeth, a headache pulsing at his temple, “You want to go _where_?”

“You heard me perfectly well the first time, Lieutenant,” General Iroh chided gently.

“Sir, that’s Earth Kingdom territory.”

General Iroh hummed, entirely unconcerned.

“Sir, we cannot sail a Fire Nation ship that close to Fong’s base.”

“It won’t be an issue,” General Iroh said, taking a sip of tea.

“ _Sir_ ,” Jee said, almost tearing out his hair. And here he’d been thinking that _Prince Zuko_ had been the difficult one. “I’m not letting the _Dragon of the West_ travel alone in Earth Kingdom territory!”

General Iroh set his cup of tea down. Jee froze.

“Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant,” General Iroh said softly, “But my nephew is in trouble and no one – not General Fong, not the Earth Kingdom, not the spirits – will keep me from finding him.”

_Is that clear_ , was unsaid and loud.

“Yes sir,” Jee swallowed.

How was the banished prince more trouble _off_ the ship than on it?

* * *

So it turned out that neither Sokka nor Aang wanted to leave Kyoshi Island.

Aang was having a lot of fun with his friends and Sokka was…uh…having a lot of fun with _one_ friend in particular. The makeup did not sufficiently hide his blush when Katara pointed this out.

Katara threatened to take Zuko and leave them all behind – Sokka was still grumbling about the girlfriend jab, Aang looked shocked that Katara would leave without him, and Zuko was a little surprised that he was being dragged into this.

He would prefer to stick close to Aang, to follow him back to where the rest of the airbenders – and the Avatar – were hiding, but Katara turned a narrow-eyed glare on him, reminiscent of Azula whenever she didn’t get a firebending kata right on the very first try, and Zuko shut up.

After whining, shouts, and a half-day of the silent treatment, they agreed to check out the swamp. Zuko resigned himself to the side trip, but at least it would be an opportunity to prove that Aang couldn’t waterbend and therefore couldn’t possibly be the Avatar, and _where was the real one, kid_?

The Swamp wasn’t very far, and looked a lot bigger in person than it had on the map. “Where exactly are we supposed to find the waterbenders?” Sokka asked, peering over the edge of the saddle, “I just see…green.”

“I’m sure they’re here somewhere,” Katara said, staring into the jungle.

“…You have absolutely no idea, do you.”

“Kyoshi wrote that she trained with waterbenders in a swamp!” Katara argued, “This is a swamp! We’ll find them here.”

“Did she specifically mention _this_ swamp?” Sokka asked, frowning.

Katara’s guilty silence was answer enough.

Sokka threw his hands up in the air, “Katara, you dragged me away from my training to go on a wild goose-seal chase?! And you –” he turned towards Ko, “What made you think this was a good idea?”

Zuko raised his hands up, trying to impart that he had not been part of this decision-making process, really, he was just here for the airbender kid and if they would stop trying to drag him in the middle of fights or make him teach them things, that would be great.

“I mean, we can land somewhere and start looking,” Aang chirped, sending Appa lower, “I’m sure Katara knows what she’s doing.”

“No,” Sokka said flatly, “You two can make doe eyes at each other, and _you_ can hang around them if you’d like, but _I’m_ going back to my training. Drop me back off at the village.”

“ _Training_?” Katara asked incredulously, “Is that what you’re calling it now?”

Sokka spluttered, making incoherent shouts, but any attempt to change the direction of their flight was suddenly arrested by a tornado.

A tornado. In the middle of the swamp.

Zuko was still having trouble believing it when he was hurled unceremoniously into wet foliage with a flying lemur clinging to his back.

* * *

Sokka stumbled through the undergrowth, muttering about stupid little sisters and hacking through the vines.

First Katara had destroyed an iceberg. Then she’d attacked a Fire Nation ship. Now she gotten them stranded in a swamp.

“Ooh, look at me with my magic water,” Sokka waggled his fingers at the undergrowth, “I’m so special!”

The undergrowth creaked ominously. Sokka dropped the imitation and kept his hand on his knife.

“There’s no such thing as swamp monsters,” Sokka said to himself, only half-convinced, “No such thing as spirits or ghosts. Nope. Just the wind.”

He felt a little better once he cut a path through the vines to emerge into a small clearing. He splashed through the puddles and took a deep breath.

“Katara!” he shouted through cupped hands, “Ko! Aang!”

“ _Katara_!” something shrieked and he jumped. “ _Ko_! _Aang_!” The sound echoed around him, taken up by tens of birds with dark red eyes and malevolently sharp beaks.

“ _Katara_ – _Ko – Aang – Ko – Aang – Katara_!” Sokka covered his ears and ran through the forest, the shrieking following him. It sounded like something was grating on his bones.

“Do not yell at the swamp,” he muttered once he’d gotten far enough away that his friends’ names were distant echoes. “Okay, just have to find them some other way. It’s just like tracking.”

Sokka remembered how much of the Earth Kingdom’s southwestern border had been taken up by the swamp, and he groaned.

(He could’ve been training with Suki right now.)

“Katara,” he said, careful to keep his voice low, “When I get my hands on you, I’ll –”

He stumbled to a stop at the sight of the woman. She was a vision in white, dressed in a gown that shimmered but wasn’t blinding, her pure white hair twisted up into an intricate hairstyle. 

And then she turned, and Sokka forgot how to breathe.

She was _beautiful_. She was – Sokka had never seen a woman like her before, wide eyes and a soft, mischievous smile and an otherworldly glow, like she was bathed in moonlight.

“Hi,” he said, “I’m Sokka.”

Her smile deepened and Sokka smiled dopily back. She looked like a goddess. She probably _was_ a goddess.

(In the back of his mind, Suki’s scowl flashed across his thoughts.)

“Hello, Sokka,” the woman said, amused, “I am Yue.”

“Hi, Yue,” Sokka said, breathless, “What brings a girl like you to a place like this?”

Yue’s laughter sounded like bells and Sokka stared at her, entranced.

“I am here. I am there. I am everywhere,” she said softly. Sokka nodded, unsure of what he was agreeing with.

“I am the moon,” she said, and a shadow passed over her face, “And the moon is me. Do not forget, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.”

“What?” Sokka said, starting forward, but Yue disappeared in front of his eyes. “Wait – what – how did you know where I’m from? Hey!”

Sokka turned around and froze.

“Do not forget,” Yue said, a chilling, alien stillness to her features. “I am the moon. _And the moon is me_.”

She swooped towards him and Sokka let out a startled cry, covering his face before she –

Silence. He peeked between his arms. Leaves rustled and something chattered, but there was no sign of another human.

“Why are Katara’s adventures so _creepy_?” Sokka bemoaned.

* * *

Katara shivered, keeping a ball of water floating in front of her as she glanced around the swamp. Sokka and Aang and Ko had disappeared and Katara felt like someone was watching her. She could feel eyes on the back of her neck but every time she turned, there was no one there.

The hairs on her arms prickled and she spun around again, the water wobbling uncertainly. “Whoever’s out there, I’m warning you!” Katara said, trying to keep her voice steady, “I’m a waterbender!”

(She knew three and a half moves and none of them seemed like enough right now.)

The jungle loomed, creaking and unresponsive.

Katara shivered and turned back. She was trying to find some kind of path, or even a current – if waterbenders really lived in the swamp, they’d be near the running water.

She sloshed her way through the damp ground, keeping an eye out for blue-and-white or bright orange. She didn’t think she’d be able to spot Ko’s dark brown cloak in the jungle, but she tracked everything that moved.

It took her two sweeps before she realized that there was someone half-hidden between two tree trunks, turned away from her. “Sokka!” she cried out, recognizing blue-and-white.

Two steps forward, and she realized that it wasn’t Sokka’s clothing. The ball of water splashed onto the ground. “Mom?”

Katara was running – long dark hair and she _recognized_ that style and a blue dress and – and –

It was just a tree stump. Katara stared at her, breathing hard, the brief flicker of desperate hope crashing straight into despair.

“Mom,” she whispered, blinking too fast.

* * *

“Momo,” Zuko said, slowly, patiently, “I don’t have any moon peaches.”

Momo chittered angrily at him.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he sighed, “But we need to find the others first.” He’d nearly had a panic attack when he’d searched his surroundings only to come up empty. He’d called out for Katara, Aang, and Sokka only once before remembering he was in hostile territory.

“At least it isn’t the Fire Nation,” Zuko said. Momo made a noise Zuko took as agreement as they made their way through the damp, squelchy mud. 

“I need to find the Avatar before I can go home,” Zuko said quietly, as Momo perched on top of his head, “And Aang can lead me there.”

And even if Aang couldn’t, Zuko needed to convince him to stop going around telling everyone he was the Avatar. He knew that there were people who wouldn’t bother to wait and ask questions and wonder how a twelve-year-old airbender child could possibly be the Avatar. And Aang was a _kid_ , he didn’t deserve that.

Momo squeaked in his ear. Zuko remembered the bones at the Air Temple. The other airbender kids hadn’t deserved that either.

But – if they didn’t deserve it, it meant that Fire Lord Sozin had been wrong. It meant that the Fire Nation was wrong.

“They just had to give up the Avatar,” Zuko said, shaking his head, “That was it. They could’ve flown away if they really wanted to.”

And they were forcing a _kid_ to pretend to be the Avatar. Even his father had given him a ship and a crew to help him on his quest. He wasn’t just cast out by himself – that would be _cruel_. And Aang was incredibly naïve – Zuko was surprised he hadn’t gotten caught yet.

(What if he was _supposed_ to get caught?)

Zuko froze. He’d studied the Avatar cycle. If the airbender Avatar died, the next one would be Water. And everyone in the world would start hunting for a waterbender.

And they called the _Fire Nation_ monsters.

Suddenly, Fire Lord Sozin’s actions made a lot more sense. Zuko set his jaw and kept walking. He needed Aang to tell him where the airbenders were hiding.

“No more side trips,” Zuko said darkly, stalking forward. The Avatar needed to be found. Not just for Zuko’s sake, but for the _world’s_.

Well, first he needed to find Aang and get out of this swamp. He really should’ve come up with a better distraction when Katara had followed him. Zuko sighed and eyed the trees – maybe if he got high enough, he could find some sign of life.

Momo’s grip suddenly tightened and Zuko stopped. “Hey, buddy, what’s up?”

Momo made a low growling noise and Zuko tensed, his hands tightening on his swords as he turned and saw –

“Mom?”

His mother stood in a beam of sunlight, dressed in heavy red robes with a crown in her hair. She looked like the Fire Lady she’d never gotten to be.

“Zuko,” she said, and the weight of her coldness was cutting. Zuko stumbled back, his heart aching, as she began to frown.

“Never forget who you are,” she hissed. She took a step forward, out of the sunlight – and vanished.

Momo flew at the spot where she’d been, hissing and chattering, and Zuko sat down heavily on a nearby root.

“Mom,” he said, staring at where she’d been.

He hadn’t – he didn’t – the second year of his banishment, when the leads on airbenders had dried up and Zuko began to lose hope, he’d started searching for his mother.

He’d found nothing. He’d kept it from his uncle and his crew, and made sure the questions couldn’t be traced back to him, but there was no sign of her. Zuko wasn’t sure what he was expecting – if Father had found her, he would’ve brought her back, and he had all the resources in the Fire Nation.

(Unless…unless she _couldn’t_ come back, because she’d killed a Fire Lord, she’d killed a Fire Lord _for him_ and Zuko had done nothing but waste the gift she’d given him.)

_Never forget who you are_.

He was Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation. He was in charge of capturing the Avatar to save his country – to save the world. He wouldn’t fail.

“I won’t,” Zuko whispered.

* * *

Aang scrambled away from the dragon as Appa roared, but his air slice went through empty air and the dragon reached out a long, twisting whisker and –

_A temple on an island volcano_. _The sun, high above them, flashing across a familiar statue. An Avatar, fire sprouting from his hands._

“You’re Avatar Roku’s spirit guide!” Aang exclaimed. The dragon bowed his head. Appa stopped huffing, but continued glaring.

Aang saw more flashes – _a comet burning across the sky – a pair of koi fish, swimming in circles –_

An old man in Fire Nation clothes, white hair in a topknot with a crown, smiling, _“Aang, we have much to discuss. Come to my temple on the winter solstice and I will teach you about the war – and how to end it.”_

Aang took a gasping breath, and the dragon was gone. “That was Avatar Roku, Appa!” he said, turning, “He said he’s going to help me end the war.”

Appa grunted in acknowledgement, but they were interrupted by a shrill, familiar shriek from deeper in the swamp.

“Sokka!”

* * *

Zuko ran towards Sokka’s yell, unsheathing his swords and prepared for attack. He burst onto the scene, noting Katara crashing through the undergrowth on the opposite side, and Appa’s familiar roar, prepared to fight off a cat-gator or a boa-dog or –

He almost stumbled as he came to a halt. _What_ in the name of Agni was _that_?

“Help!” Sokka shrieked, caught in the grasp of a monster two stories high and made entirely out of vines. Aang burst in, going from a glide to an air slice, and the hand…thing that was holding Sokka was carved off, sending the boy flailing into the shallow water.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as the vines broke off they were regrown, and the swamp monster attacked again.

Katara attacked with ice spikes – the only offensive move Zuko had shown her – as Aang whipped up a gale around them. Zuko went on the attack, slashing and carving, jumping back before the vines could reach him and cutting anything that came too close.

“What did you do?” Katara yelled in frustration as her ice spikes shattered with a single swipe. The wind was doing next to nothing to the large monster and Zuko gritted his teeth as a vine curled around his ankle before being stabbed with extreme prejudice.

“What makes you think _I_ did something?” Sokka shouted, hacking away at the vines that came after him.

Katara made a wordless growl as she sent more ice spikes at the limb that was attacking Aang. Zuko cursed in frustration as vines flopped around him – even skewering them wasn’t stopping their twitching, and the monster kept growing and growing.

“Sokka!” Katara cried out, and Zuko wasted a precious second turning to her shout – Sokka had been captured again, and he was drowning in vines.

One snagged the edge of Zuko’s boot while he was distracted, and he promptly got a face full of swamp water. He lashed out at the vines entangling his feet, but more of them attacked his arms, forcing him under the shallow water as he struggled in the mud.

He could hear Aang’s shout, dulled by the water, and Katara’s sharp cry. His swords were wrenched from his grasp, his arms twisted into opposite directions, vines stealing across his face –

_Never forget who you are_.

Zuko _burned_.

The water turned scalding immediately and Zuko jumped up as the vines retreated. His arms raised – water doused fire, but Zuko’s flames raged higher and hotter, swirling around the clearing, attacking the vines that held Katara, searing through the vines that encircled Aang, racing up the swamp monster until the vines shriveled and Sokka dropped from its clutches. Zuko breathed out, and the fire caught onto the swamp monster, burning and burning and burning – was that a _person_?

Zuko’s flames snuffed out and the person inside the swamp monster – the person _controlling_ the swamp monster – dropped to the ground, shaking but unburnt.

He was staring at Zuko like _he_ was the monster.

Zuko looked down at hands wreathed in fire, and then up, to four shocked-horrified-betrayed- _furious_ faces.

“You’re a firebender,” Katara said, her eyes wide.

“I knew it!” Sokka shook the knife at him, “ _I knew it_. You’re a Fire Nation spy!”

Aang was staring at him like he was Sozin reborn.

Zuko swallowed against a dry throat. He had just ruined everything.

“I’m –”

“Stay away from us, firebender,” Katara warned, forming ice spikes around her. Aang backed away, pushing Appa out of view. Sokka advanced, knife first.

( _No he was so close he was_ so _close_ –)

“Guys, I’m not –”

“You’re not a trader,” Katara said coldly, “You’re a _liar_.”

“You were planning to kidnap Aang this whole time, weren’t you?” Sokka brandished the knife, “Trying to capture the Avatar!”

Well, _yes_ , but Zuko wasn’t –

“That was your ship!” Aang said, eyes wide, “I thought we were rescuing you!”

Okay, yes, but Zuko hadn’t –

“I’m not trying to kidnap Aang,” Zuko said, moving closer to his swords, “I’m sorry, I didn’t –”

“Liar,” Katara hissed. Sokka looked grim. Aang was shaking his head in sorrow.

The man inside the swamp monster had gotten up and was regarding Zuko with a distinctly unfriendly air. “Firebenders aren’t welcome here,” he said. Vines began to move around him again.

“Guys, I’m sorry –”

“Get away from us!” Sokka shouted, advancing on him.

Zuko cast one last, fleeting look at Aang – the airbender kid was watching with eyes wide in hurt and disbelief – and snatched his swords before fleeing.

Failure thrummed in tune to his heart beat. He had one simple mission – get the airbender kid’s trust and follow him to his hideout. Now Zuko had shattered what little trust he’d had, and ensured that all three of them would attack him on sight.

He had to follow them. He had to find where the airbenders were hiding.

Zuko made his way deeper into the swamp, running until he was sure that no one was following him.

He couldn’t follow an airbender and a sky bison on foot.

Zuko adjusted his route to head towards the coastline. He needed to find his ship. He needed to find _Uncle_.

* * *

“So you guys are waterbenders? Did you really teach Kyoshi?”

“Well, it’s been a long time since we’ve had an Avatar here, but yes, we’re waterbenders! I haven’t see icebending in many years, though – where are you from, young lady?”

“The South Pole!”

“Huh, I never knew that there were waterbenders in the South Pole. But I’d be happy to teach you some swampbending if you teach us icebending!”

“I can’t believe Ko was actually a spy. I thought he was our friend.”

“Dirty – rotten – I never trusted him for a second – stupid –”

“At least he’s gone now. We’ll see him coming from anywhere in the swamp.”

“Uh, guys? Where’s Momo?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to end up being a S1 AU, with a slightly different finale. (Probably going to ignore Ba Sing Se entirely, but I make no promises and my plots have been known to expand the closer I get to the end.)
> 
> Coming up: Chapter Six: Earthbending Masters Are Good At Abduction
> 
> Aang is captured by a crazy old man. Zuko is kidnapped by a little blind girl.


	6. Earthbending Masters Are Good At Abduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang is captured by a crazy old man. Zuko is kidnapped by a little blind girl. (In which the greatest earthbender in the world finally gets that field trip.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half the comments: DID MOMO GO WITH ZUKO?!  
> Other half of the comments: TOPH!!!!

“Hello, old friend.”

“Hello, dear Grandmaster. Still no news?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Glad to see that the kid is keeping you on your toes, Grandmaster! He must be quite the handful if he can hide from the Dragon of the West.”

“Zuko is headstrong and determined and brave. I just worry that this time he’s in a situation he can’t get out of by himself.”

“These young whippersnappers think they’re invincible! Wait till they start getting back problems, they’ll slow down then. Worked for me, anyway.”

“I don’t know, my friend, you are as full of life as always.”

“Oho, you were always a flatterer. I suppose you want my network to track down your nephew?”

“I would be very grateful for any help you can offer me, my friend.”

* * *

“Okay, Momo, we need to think,” Zuko said seriously, pacing back and forth in front of the boulder Momo was perched on. “We need to find the Avatar.”

Momo chittered.

“Yes, no one’s found him in a hundred years,” Zuko scowled, “But I _will_. Father trusts me!”

Momo tilted his head to one side.

“He does,” Zuko repeated, “I need to find the Avatar. For the good of the Fire Nation.”

Momo gnawed on the nut he hadn’t been able to crack.

“But I don’t know where the ship is. Where my crew is. Where _Uncle_ is.” Zuko wasn’t _worried_ – Uncle could take care of himself – but he was just…concerned. About his crew. A captain was supposed to take care of his crew, after all. Also, what if they’d taken his absence to go back to the Fire Nation?

(What if they’d taken the news of his absence back to the Fire Lord?)

“I need to find my ship,” Zuko said. But _how_? They could be anywhere in the world. He couldn’t track down one all-powerful master of the elements, how could he track down one ship –

“That’s it,” Zuko breathed. Momo looked up inquisitively. “I know how to track them!” Zuko said, “They have to be near the coast. And they’ll be noticed – Uncle always talks to shopkeepers. I just have to ask around in the ports.”

The ports across the Earth Kingdom. Which was a massive continent that took Zuko months to traverse by ship.

“This is going to take a while,” Zuko drooped. Momo jumped forward to land on his head and chirped enthusiastically.

“Thanks, Momo. Alright, let’s go search for Uncle!”

(And then Aang. And the other airbenders. And finally, after three years of searching without even a hint – the Avatar.)

* * *

“Oh, wow, you’re really getting the hang of this, Katara!” Aang cheered as she whipped the vines around her in an intricate dance.

She smiled, and let the vines drop back to the ground as she relinquished control. “You know, you’d be as good as me if you practiced more,” she chided gently.

Aang rubbed his head sheepishly, “I’m practicing! But I also have to keep practicing my airbending, and I’m trying to meditate and see if I can talk to Roku again.”

“Aang, Avatar Roku said he’ll talk to you on the winter solstice,” Katara frowned, “That’s still a few weeks away. Be patient.”

“I know, but what if it’s urgent? What if we don’t make it there in time? What if I don’t know how to reach him?”

“Hey, we agreed that we weren’t going to the Fire Nation until the winter solstice,” Sokka called out from where he was sharpening his new spear. “We’re not giving those bastards a chance to grab you, especially now that Ko probably told them all about you. And I’m still skeptical on trusting a _Fire Nation_ Avatar.”

“He’s Aang’s past life, Sokka.”

“Yeah, that’s not really helping,” Sokka said, giving Aang a doubtful look.

“Hey! I’m trustworthy!”

Sokka snorted and turned back to his spear.

Katara sighed. “Ignore him,” she said softly to Aang’s wide eyes, “He’s still upset about Ko.”

Aang was silent for a moment, before his face brightened. “I think I know what’ll make him feel better,” he said, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Have you guys ever ridden the mail chutes of Omashu?”

* * *

“Stay _inside_ , Momo,” Zuko hissed for the sixteenth time, stuffing long ears back inside his hood. “We’re supposed to be discreet!”

Momo chattered angrily. Zuko knew how he felt. He only had a few coins left – everything else had been left at Kyoshi Island. He had considered going back there, but Aang and the others might’ve warned the islanders against him, and Zuko did _not_ want to be fed to a sea serpent.

The few coins had gone to pay for a meager lunch – Gaoling was _expensive_ – and Zuko was still hungry. He needed supplies to go after Uncle and his ship. And he needed money to get supplies.

Without his topknot, his armor, or his crew, Zuko couldn’t intimidate people into getting what he wanted. Fortunately, he had long since come up with… _alternative_ ways to get what he was looking for.

Zuko stumbled into the stall as it passed him, straightening up with a murmured apology as he tucked something thin and hard into his cloak. He waited until he could duck into a nearby alley before drawing it out again.

Wood painted blue, with features highlighted in white to frame wide eyes and a scowling face.

Momo swiped angrily at the mask. Zuko smiled.

* * *

“Uh, Aang? I’m not sure this is a good id-AHHHH!”

_Scream_. Crash. _More screaming_. Shouts. Confusion. _Still screaming_ – “Sokka, stop screaming!”

_Crash_. A trail of significant property damage.

“MY CABBAGES!”

“Wasn’t that fun?”

“Ugh…”

“I think I left my stomach at the first turn…”

“Halt! You will be brought before the King on charges of public endangerment and destruction of property!”

* * *

As it turned out, there was a _lot_ going on in Gaoling. For a city that looked perfectly respectable on the surface, it sure had a lot of illegal underground activity. Zuko snooped around for a large part of the evening – discovering that the local earthbending school had questionable standards of education, there was an underground earthbender fighting ring, and one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom had a sprawling estate in the middle of the city.

Zuko investigated the underground earthbending fighting ring, but it turned out that they were getting low on money and betting everything on their newest fighter in a week’s time. Which left the Bei Fong family and their opulent estate and poor security.

The Blue Spirit smirked behind his mask as he stole quietly across swaying grass. The guards had missed him stealing across the walls and didn’t notice him sneaking behind their patrols. Of course, Zuko was very good at sneaking into places, it was a skill that developed naturally after he found out that being a prince wasn’t enough to get him past every door.

(It had been one of the few things he and Azula had learned together, both of them frustrated by the first time they met a locked door.)

Of course, it probably helped that the earthbenders were complacent, so sure in their presumed superiority that they didn’t even notice as he slipped through the shadows, aiming for the main house and –

The ground liquefied underneath him, and solidified after his ankles had sunk through.

Zuko went very still, his hands tightening on his swords.

“Who are you?” a girl demanded in the darkness.

Zuko twisted awkwardly, his feet bound to the ground, to see a little girl standing behind him, dressed in noble finery. She was scowling at Zuko’s chest. Zuko looked down, but there was nothing special there.

Zuko swung his swords menacingly, praying he didn’t need to resort to fire. His feet were well and truly trapped. Maybe the girl would get scared and run away – and who had trapped him in the first place –

The girl took absolutely no notice of his swords, and moved her hands. The earth around Zuko’s feet pressed inwards. “I asked you a question,” she said, scowling harder.

Why did Zuko always run into the precocious child prodigies? What did he _do_ to deserve being beset by girls who mastered their element far too early? Why wasn’t anything _fair_?

Zuko spun through a flashy sword trick – all style and no substance, but if she flinched back he’d have an opening…and she didn’t even twitch.

She wasn’t even _looking_ at him right. Her face scrunched up – still scowling somewhere at his midsection – but before she could say anything, Zuko blurted out, surprised, “You’re _blind_?”

The girl’s face shut down faster than he could blink and she swung her hands forward – Zuko yelped as the ground reached up to swallow him – it was the vines all over again, suffocating and drowning and –

_Never forget who you are._

– and fire blazing along his swords as he scythed through earth like it was stale bread – in the sudden gleam of fire he saw the girl’s eyes go wide, eyes that were a pale, milky green.

She stared at him, a half-wall of earth raised between her and the fire she couldn’t see. He stared back, his heart pounding, dirt clinging to his black outfit, whispers of sparks still dancing along his swords.

“Firebender,” she breathed out, half-shocked, half- _scared_. Zuko swallowed and opened his mouth – he had no idea what he was going to say – but they were interrupted by shouts.

Right. The guards. The guards who had _definitely_ been alerted by the fire.

“Miss Toph!” one of the guards shouted, “Get away from him.”

The Blue Spirit killed all the flames spluttering in the nearby area and used the darkness as camouflage to run for it.

He wasn’t expecting the blind earthbender to _start chasing him_.

“Get back here, you sparky piece of shit!” she yelled and Zuko hit the ground to duck a boulder aimed at his heart. “You want a fight, I’ll give you a fight!”

Zuko scrambled up before the ground could swallow him again and leapt up to grab a branch from a nearby tree, scrambling up the trunk and trying not to think about how the last time he was this close to plant life, it had tried to eat him.

Thankfully, the tree branches didn’t try to strangle him, though Momo did a pretty good job of it, hissing and spitting from his perch around Zuko’s neck as he snarled down at the earthbender, whose head was tilted up, but at the wrong angle. So she couldn’t see – hear? – sense? – him up here.

Zuko took immediate advantage of this piece of knowledge and leapt for the next nearest tree. The girl turned at the sound, but continued looking in the wrong direction. She settled into a low position and Zuko winced as the tree began to shudder and creak.

Momo chattered in his ear, alarmed. Zuko swore under his breath. He leapt for the ground, trying to roll away before she noticed, but earth came surging towards him the moment he touched dirt.

Zuko snarled, but his blades were next to useless against a master earthbender.

A _blind_ master earthbender. A blind master earthbender who _couldn’t see fire_.

Ah, well. Zuko’s cover was already blown. Right now, all he wanted was to not end up in earthbender prison.

Fire roared into the night, and the area lit up with screams.

“The Fire Nation is attacking!”

“It’s a raid!”

“They’re _here_!”

Zuko shot off a few more fire blasts in the earthbender’s direction, aiming for the wall she’d put between them, and ran for the outer walls. Shouts and swears followed him, and in the city, alarm bells started ringing.

If Azula was here, she’d be rolling on the ground laughing.

(“Is _that_ what you call discreet, Zuzu?”)

He leapt over the wall, angry voices behind him, and made for the city streets. He only stopped when he was up on a roof, the sounds of pursuit far behind him.

“So much for the Blue Spirit,” Zuko groaned, tugging off the mask.

Momo screeched and yanked his hair.

“No money and no mask,” Zuko said, staring at the stars, “How am I supposed to find Uncle now?”

* * *

“They kidnapped my daughter,” Lao Bei Fong said, his face warring between anguish and anger, “They _kidnapped_ my _daughter_!”

“I didn’t know the Bei Fongs had a daughter,” someone whispered.

“I heard she’s blind,” another voice hissed.

“I am offering a reward!” Lao Bei Fong proclaimed, “A thousand gold coins to whoever brings back my daughter and her captor!”

There was a mad scramble for the door.

* * *

“…Sir? Sorry to disturb you at this time –”

“What is it?”

“There have been…rumors. Out of Kyoshi Island. Of the Avatar.”

“The Avatar. And just when our dear banished prince has gone… _missing_.”

“Yes, sir.”

“This is the perfect opportunity. Sound a bulletin and send a message to the Fire Lord. If we capture the Avatar, victory will be in our grasp.”

* * *

“We should’ve just gone back to Kyoshi Island,” Zuko sighed, flat on the roof as he stared at the city gates. Gaoling had gone from a peaceful night to frantic alarm – shouts of a Fire Nation invasion, a kidnapping, and bandits had roused everyone and the city was crawling with earthbenders. No one was allowed in or out and Zuko had stuck mainly to the rooftops to avoid all the earthbenders.

Momo made a whining nose and stuck his nose down Zuko’s shirt. “Yes, yes, I’m sorry,” he patted the flying lemur, “You’re the one that came with me, by the way.”

Momo straightened up and gave him a flat look because _obviously_ he would go with the person that had the food.

(There had been a lesson with the turtleducks and Zuko had learned it well.)

“Okay, how about this,” Zuko said quietly, “We get out of here, we make it to Kyoshi Island, and we get a boat. The Southwestern Fleet should be headquartered near Whale Tail Island – I know, I don’t like it any more than you, but we can send a message to my ship from there.”

Momo gave the proposal serious thought, and then went back to rooting around in Zuko’s pockets, like Zuko was hiding food in there.

“Great,” Zuko said, “Now we just need to get out of here.” Easier said than done, especially when the streets were crawling with earthbenders and –

With this many earthbenders on the surface…how many were underground?

Zuko slunk through the shadows to the entrance to the tunnels that led below Gaoling to the underground fighting ring. His hunch was right – none of the earthbender guards had made it down here. Instead, the owner and the fighters were talking about false advertising, a kidnapping, and a very large sum of money.

Curiosity piqued, Zuko drifted closer, careful to remain out of sight but within hearing range.

“Come on, boss, if she’s _actually_ blind there’s no way anyone’s going to think it’s a fair fight. We’ll lose our odds.”

“And if she’s a Bei Fong, there are…easier ways of getting our money. Lao’s already offered a thousand gold coins. How long before he ups the ransom again?”

“We need to catch her first.”

“She’s a little blind girl –” Zuko went very still. “How difficult is it going to be?”

They were talking about kidnapping the earthbender girl he’d been fighting against. Zuko had the slightly amused thought that these men had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

“But she’s missing – maybe captured by a firebender. How are we going to find…her…”

“Hey, loudmouths! What’re you all lurking under here for?”

Zuko spun in a frantic circle – earth, earth, earth, and earth. Absolutely nowhere to hide. _Shit_.

“The Blind Bandit. What are _you_ doing here?”

“Trying to find the Fire Nation scum that attacked our city,” the girl said, and rock shifted. “While you cowards are busy hiding.”

“We weren’t hiding… _Bei Fong_.”

“Hey, wait –”

Metal screeched and the blind earthbender immediately began shouting. “You bunch of lily-livered cowards! Let me go!”

“Not until your father doubles your ransom,” one of them chuckled. Zuko peered out from the edge of the tunnel – the fighting arena was in the center, and there was a metal box hung from the ceiling. The blind earthbender was tugging at the bars, her face twisted into a snarl.

“You’ll never get away with this!” the blind girl shouted, “I’m the greatest earthbender in the world!”

“Well, let’s see the _greatest earthbender in the world_ try to bend metal!” the big guy in the center laughed, and the rest of them followed suit. The girl continued to bang on the bars, but it was useless. No one could bend metal.

Zuko slunk back. A thousand gold coins was a lot of money. If he went to find this Lao guy, and told him that his daughter was being held underground…it would be more than enough money to get passage on a ship heading north, and bypass Whale Tail Island entirely.

He cast another glance at the arena. The girl was still shouting, the men were laughing and composing lists of what they would do with the money.

The girl had thwarted his first plan to steal money, it was only fitting that she enabled the second. “She’ll be fine,” Zuko said to himself, taking a step back.

He didn’t quite convince himself. Even Momo gave him a quizzical look.

Would _someone_ save him from _idiot children_?

Zuko snarled, grumbled, and poked his head around the edge of the tunnel again. The lever wasn’t too far from him, all he’d have to do was grab it and the girl would be free.

Only three people were looking in his direction. If he kept to the shadows, and didn’t make any fast movements –

“Hey!” the big guy’s eyes narrowed in his direction, “Who are you?” His friends swiveled to face Zuko.

Zuko cursed and lunged for the lever, the element of surprise gone. He dodged two rocks as they whistled past him, but stumbled back in surprise as a man burst out of the ground in front of him.

He didn’t see the third rock, but he definitely felt it ram into his ribs.

Momo took flight, screeching, as Zuko tried to remember how to breathe. They were closing in around him, and the earth was shuddering underneath him. His swords looked laughable against the boulders they wrenched out of the ground.

“A thousand gold coins for the girl and her captor,” the big guy smiled, “Looks like it’s our lucky day.”

Zuko spun, trying to dodge the projectiles that flew at him from all directions – one sent his swords spinning from his grasp and he was just about to raise fire when one clipped him across the back of his head.

His vision erupted in stars. He dimly registered the sound of Momo’s chattering and grumbling and low laughter but the world was spinning around him and it sucked Zuko down.

* * *

“A thousand gold coins for the girl and her captor,” Xin Fu laughed, “Looks like it’s our lucky day.”

Toph _couldn’t see_ what was happening, she was trapped in darkness and she’d never felt so helpless as she tugged furiously on metal bars. There was a sound of an animal screeching and metal grating against stone and someone choking.

The animal sounded…familiar. The sound of metal scraping against stone sounded _familiar_.

“These are some good quality swords,” someone muttered, and the sound of metal whistling through the air was also familiar.

“If only you didn’t decide to play hero,” Xin Fu said. Toph could hear the sound of a body being dragged. “But that’s between you and the city guards now, boy.”

“Are we still waiting a day?”

“Yeah. Let Lao stew for a bit, and then we can set our terms. Watch the boy, make sure he doesn’t escape. He’s not an earthbender, and with those eyes he can pass for Fire Nation.”

She heard his footsteps turn away. “You can’t leave me in here!” she shouted, stomping to emphasize her point.

“Sure we can, Bei Fong,” Xin Fu laughed, “Sit tight until daddy gets here!”

Toph snarled, and stomped her foot again. Her parents wouldn’t let her out of their sight now, they’d be _insufferable_. She banged her fist against the wall. And again. And again. And –

For an instant, she could see.

Toph almost stopped breathing. She punched the wall – the metal wall, the box she was in, she could feel it around, rough and fuzzy, but she could _feel it_.

Toph felt a smile curl her face.

She jammed her fingers towards the weakest point she could sense – curled them, and _tore_.

“What –”

“She didn’t –”

“Impossible!”

“I told you,” she said, grinning ear to ear as she stomped down on familiar, soothing stone.

“ _I’m the greatest earthbender in the world_.”

* * *

“Bumi! I’m so glad to see you again!” Aang grinned as his friends were released from the rock candy.

“I’m glad to see you again, too, Aang,” Bumi laughed, “And I had a feeling it would be sooner than later – an old friend gave me a description that sounded a lot like Appa. Where is he anyway, that furry rascal?”

“We left Appa outside the gates,” Aang said, walking with Bumi back to the main throne room, “Wait – your friend saw Appa? Where?”

The old man that Bumi had been having dinner with was waiting in the throne room, sitting with a full set of tea. He gave them all a soft smile. “Avatar Aang,” he bowed his head a touch, “I believe you’ve met my nephew?”

* * *

“News from the southwestern fleet.” The fires flared. “It appears Commander Zhao has discovered news about the Avatar.”

“The Avatar is a spirit tale.”

“Spirits are real,” Azula leaned forward and affixed the speaker with a steady stare, “The Fire Nation leads by the grace of Agni. If the Avatar is real, they must be crushed. As any threat to our rule is.”

“Well spoken,” the man behind the flames said, and all conversation was silenced. “The spirits are interfering with our campaign. They must be stopped.”

The flames flickered and Azula smiled.

“I have a task for you, daughter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Seven: Something is Up (or Down) (or Sideways) in the Spirit World
> 
> The Avatar is supposed to be the bridge between the human world and the spirit world. The Avatar is not getting paid enough for this job.
> 
> [I fully intend to complete this work, it's just that at the moment it's a little easier for me to write whump and tears and hugs than it is to write humor. But I am still working on this.]


End file.
